In the Studio: Takesada Matsutani

Description

An intimate clothbound guide to the sensuous and meditative works of a leading figure from the Japanese postwar avant-garde.

At the heart of Japanese artist Takesada Matsutani’s (born 1937) practice is the reshaping of matter. He transforms vinyl adhesive, acrylic and graphite into mesmerizing paintings, sculptures, works on paper and assemblages that animate his materials while challenging the essence of the forms they constitute.

This guide covers how Matsutani arrived at his first experiments with vinyl glue and his work as part of Japan’s influential Gutai group, his time as a printmaker in Stanley William Hayter’s studio in Paris in the 1960s and his energetic daily studio practice. A generous selection of archival material, studio photography and artwork images showcases Matsutani’s process, while an informative text by curator Mika Yoshitake offers insight into his wide-ranging influences, including calligraphy and Gutai; his half-century-long creative and personal dialogue with his wife, Kate Van Houten; and the forms and materials that comprise his visual language.